The most common method for calculating Scope 2 is to multiply annual consumption by a single annual average factor published for the country. This method is simple, but it ignores the fact that the carbon intensity of electricity changes significantly over the course of the day.
What changes during the day?
At midday, when solar generation rises, the grid's carbon intensity falls. During the evening peak, fossil-fuel plants come online to meet demand and intensity rises. The same kilowatt-hour carries a different climate impact depending on when it is consumed.
What does hourly tracking deliver?
- A more realistic Scope 2 inventory
- Visibility of load-shifting opportunities: moving flexible consumption to low-intensity hours
- Hour-by-hour measurement of the impact of renewable energy and storage investments
- Transparent, traceable data against greenwashing risk
Where to start?
The first step is to take hourly or more frequent measurements at your largest consumption points. Monitor's 24/7 Electricity Emissions Tracking module matches these measurements with location-based, hourly grid intensity and reports on them.